Tromso Aurora Hunt With Bonfire, Meal, Winter Suit & Photos

Highly recommended. Our guide Nicolas and Michael was great . They did not stop until we see the northern lights. They know exactly where to take us. Glad we booked this excursion . Awesome job guys.

Great experience; although very cloudy the guides Nicolas and Michael drove us to an open spot close to the border with Finland where we experienced an unexpected and beautiful view of the northern lights

05/11 Did the tour with Magda and Vitek They were both so lovely and informative, knew their stuff. We saw the most amazing lights even though I had my doubts as it was cloudy and rainy in Tromsø. It was truly amazing, I can’t thank them enough!

Unfortunately, we didn’t see the lights, but that’s where the unfortunate ends. I still 100% had a blast; we learned about lights, chased them, had a lovely campfire where I met folks from India, Portugal, Japan and Mexico. Look, you aren’t always lucky enough to catch the lights, but this trip is a can’t miss. I’d do it all over again, even if there were zero sightings! The crew talks fabulous care of you, the guide was funny and the small group was key. I was so thankful I wasn’t on a bus. Great night!

So after trying to get a hold of the northern lights for a few days in Tromso without much success, we decided to book a package with Wandering Owl (came highly recommended by the locals too). its a fairly easy process to book through their website. It was an excellent decision to book with Wandering owl and the staff, Coen (guide) and Iliyan (the minibus driver) were thorough professionals. Coen is very knowledgeable about the area and history and was an excellent host.

An unforgettable aurora hunting experience with Wandering Owl! Magda, our knowledgeable guide, and Ilain, our driver, were determined to find the best aurora and they absolutely delivered! We saw some of the brightest, crispest Northern Lights, enjoyed warm food and drinks by a bonfire, and received beautiful tour photos the very next day. Amazing service, great insights, and magical memories. Highly recommend!

The tour was totally worth it. We were greeted by Magda and Nico at our meetup location and we could tell things were going to be great. They really went out of their way to find the best location for us to see something that we’ve been wanting to see for years. On top of that, Magda took awesome photos of everyone and helped others capture their own photos with gear they brought. Easy to recommend this excursion but it’s even better with Magda and crew.

Although there weren't any forecast for strong lights on the evening we went, our guide found them. I didn't catch his name, he was a Dutch gentleman and incredibly knowledgeable. We stopped in a few different places and at one point at up a small camp fire. It was chilly so do wrap up - arctic suits were offered - you feel like you don't need them at first but after a while you really do. Be prepared for a possible scramble down to a lake side on uneven flooring. We really had a great time, the one thing I would say is the 'meal' included was a mug of soup and a waffle. Had we known this i would have a bite to eat before the trip. It was very much appreciated though.

An amazing experience made extraordinary by our tour guide Bart. We had a small party which made the trip very personal. His knowledge and passion for the Aurora hunt is second to none. We didn't get to see the Northern Lights in their full glory but he managed to capture some 'green' on camera for us. Bart was tracking the movement all evening and we travelled as far as the Finnish border but to no avail. There's no guarantee on any Aurora hunt that you're going to see the lights but Bart tried everything he knew to try to find the lights for us. Thank you Bart.

Driver Michael and Guide Magda were very friendly, helpfull, comitted and competent. Great experience, thank you!

amazing views, and good guide

We had a perfect night, thanks to the amazing guide Magda and Michael. They found a perfect place and made our night incredible. We will never hesitate to come back with them

We had the most amazing time. Anna is a fantastic guide, whose experience and knowledge helped us get prolonged, stunning Aurora viewing. Thanks for giving us the experience of a lifetime, Anna!

Fantastic evening experience with superb Northern Lights as guided by Coen. Made even more memorable with camp fire, soup and waffles. Well recommended

yes its a good time if you have patience and don't worry about being wet or cold and you are a night person to stay out after midnight

What an amazing experience! Ilian drove us safely despite some challenging weather at times, working together with Magda to find a perfect forest location for us to await the arrival of the aurora. Magda was efficient, effective and friendly, sharing information about our locality, scientific background about the aurora, and making sure we knew exactly what was happening along the way . Despite a miserable wet day together they chose a cloud free location and the lights appeared...it was magical! We saw several bursts of light growing and changing over an extended period. Magda took wonderful photos to share, and helped everyone to get the most out of cameras and phones to capture our own images. The camp fire with delicious soup, hot drinks and cookies were a very special part of the whole event. It couldn't have been a better experience, not a better team creating it for us. Huge thanks to Magda and Ilian, you made my bucket list eventually everything I imagined.

I went on the chase on Sunday, 10/18 with Kuunz (Dutch guy - jack of all trades), Michael, and a kind gentleman from Uruguay. They took us to the beach with a scenic view and we were able to see the green hue of the Northern Lights faintly with our eyes for a window of time! There was lots of activity with a huge arc and movement at times. The team was energetic, professional, and kind throughout the tour - checking in on others to ensure people were enjoying themselves. The kind gentleman from Uruguay was super knowledgeable about the wildlife in Tromso and explained the science behind the Northern Lights. Kuunz (sorry if I got the spelling incorrectly) was very social and has an interesting backstory- if you get him as your guide, I’d recommend asking about his wild adventure as to how he became a tour guide - truly a jack of all trades. Michael was a superb driver and helped set up the fire and pass out special Norwegian treats to keep our energy up. He helped guests with camera settings to capture our best shots. Thank you to the team! Wandering Owl truly lives up to their deserved status as one of the premier touring companies in Tromso. Highly recommended - worth every penny!

We had Iliyan as our driver and Magda as our guide. Iliyan was a great driver, handled the snow like a champ and we always felt safe. Magda our guide is a gem! She was so smart and knowledgeable about the Northern lights, folklore, Sami culture, surrounding areas, local tips and much more. She is a great resource and was determined to help us find the aurora borealis. It had been so cloudy since we arrived in Trømso that I really though we might not see it. She was tenacious and determined and we got to see them!! It felt like a miracle! She has a beautiful energy to her and I feel lucky we got her as our guide. The drive didn't feel as long as it actually was due to her fun facts and interactions with guests (group of 14). She even put on some Sami music to further enrich the experience. The meal was delicious and used as another learning experience. We tried saft and brown cheese for the first time. The fire they built lasted the whole time we were there. And she even started to edit photos on our way back. Everything was so nice and I would highly recommend this tour!!! Complete worth the price.

My husband and I are visiting from the states. The main reason we came to the area is to see the northern lights. We were really worried when it was snowing that day that we wouldn’t be able to see them. Our guide, Magda and our driver Lilian made sure we saw them. Had to drive out about 1 1/2 hours so that we had clear skies to view the northern lights. They made sure that along the way we stopped for toilets and to grab some snacks at a convenience store. It was like a cozy road trip with 20 of your friends. Once they found a good site, they set up an fire and we were able to put on winter suits. Trust me, the winter suits were needed . We were nice and comfortable. We were then served a delicious soup for dinner. Magda then explained what to look for in the sky to take pictures of the northern lights. She also took professional pictures of all of us, which I cannot wait to see. We ended up getting a beautiful light show. It did not feel rushed at all. We were allowed to take our time and take as many pictures as we liked. On the way back, Magda explained the science behind the northern lights. She also played us some local music from the Sammies. Beautiful night and a magical tour. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I am sure all of the guides are great, but we felt extremely lucky to have Magda as our guide. She truly cares and makes it interesting and fun. Thank you!

From hotel pickup to drop-off, this was an exceptional experience. Our guide, Jordan, and driver, Michael, were knowledgeable, engaging and genuinely passionate about what they do. I especially appreciated the balance between learning about the aurora and having quiet moments to simply take it all in. Even the music was thoughtfully selected and perfectly suited to the evening. We were incredibly fortunate to watch the Northern Lights appear, brighten, dance across the sky, fade and illuminate once again, all visible to the naked eye. Absolutely magical! Beyond the lights, I gained a greater appreciation for the challenges smaller, locally operated tour companies face. I encourage travellers to look beyond price and convenience when booking and consider supporting local operators. The intimate group setting and personal connection made this experience truly special, and preserving that authenticity matters. Highly recommend for anyone seeking a meaningful, personal and unforgettable Northern Lights experience!

A successful outing. Our guide (gentleman from Australia-sorry, I don’t recall your name!) was awesome. He clearly explained what we are to expect and the science of the lights. His passion was infectious and excited everyone! Highly recommend!!

We had a great time with Coen and Michael. Coen was thorough in his knowledge of the area and Auroras and kept us informed throughout the evening. For a while there, we were concerned we would miss the aurora because of clouds but Coen and Michael networked with the rest of their aurora hunters and found us a great viewing spot. We enthusiastically recommend Wandering Owl!

A memorable experience, one of a kind.

A memorable experience. Our guide Jordan was cheerful and supportive every step of the way. Great views!

The guide was very nice and was good at finding the Northern Lights for us. However, it's important to know you are typically walking in almost complete darkness on uneven ground so it may be a little challenging.

Michael and Coen definitely went above and beyond to find the Northern Lights. It was spectacular and worth all the driving. The meal is only soup so plan accordingly. The minibus is tight.

There was a disconnect between Viator and local vendor Viator confirmed a pickup place the day before the tour but the vendor informed us of a different place 2 hours before pickup luckily Magda our marvelous tour guide picked us up at the Viator place. Definitely need waterproof shoes and I recommend you bring a flashlight to see where you are stepping in the dark. No toilet facilities available. The portable seats are very small with no backs. Make sure you have supper before you leave. All in all, I believe this tour is not for most people above 50 years old. Our tour guide Magda and her driver Ilia made our tour special because of their attentiveness and enthusiasm and friendliness. In spite of a few inconveniences, we were lucky enough to see the Aurora Borealis.

Great experience and while they can never guarantee the northern lights they worked tirelessly to find us a spot to see them. Truly a wonderful experience. Thank you!!!

The hunt for the Northern lights was fun. Bring your patience, you are subject to Mother Nature. Our guide Magda was awesome, she was very knowledgeable . We didn’t see the lights on our first stop but she found us another spot that we got to see a spectacular Northern Light show. Our driver was great too. He safely navigated through some very dark roads. Overall it was a great experience, I would book again with wandering owl.

We had a great tour with guide Kunn and driver Mikel. They took great care of us, the bonfire was very special, and the food was a very nice touch. Our second spot was successful for viewing beautiful Northern Lights!

This was an excellent experience our guide Kunn (spelling) and driver Michael (spelling) were a blast. They are both experienced and kept us engaged throughout the tour. Our night was a true hunt, and we succeeded! Couldn’t recommend them more. Ps. The owl is the cutest mascot ever and I would absolutely buy anything with its face on it.

What a night! It wasn’t looking promising with the cloud cover, but Jordan didn’t give up and we were rewarded with an Aurora display that had us mesmerised. Jordan was a fantastic guide, providing us with Aurora facts and loads of interesting information about Tromso. Bonus at the end of the night was seeing reindeer grazing next to the road. 10/10 recommend this tour if you want to maximise your chances of catching this amazing phenomenon 🙌

If Mother Nature had sided with us we would have given the full 5/5 stars! Despite the clouds and not being lucky enough to see the best Aurora show, Bart, our guide, did his best with the chase and provided a great experience for us. Bart was honest the whole way though, no false promises, and laid out expectations from the beginning and explained what his plans were throughout the night. The group was small, only 8 people which made everything more personable and easy to manage, and allowed Bart the ability to travel to more places. The soup by the fire was yum, Barts explanation of the Aurora was great and everything was well organised. We were at the mercy of Mother Nature but hopefully better luck next time! Definitely recommend the Wandering Owl tour to others.

Our guide Coen and driver Michael were amazing we only were able to view faint lights but it was a great time. Twice we saw the faint colors. The kinetic energy the night we went was low but the skies were beautiful and full of stars. Our guides really worked hard to find colors. We had a great evening and met some very nice people on the tour. One of the people traveling with us left his phone and the driver Michael found it and delivered it to our hotel. He went above and beyond. Highly recommend. Coen was very knowledgeable in describing and answering everything about the area and the lights

Great time, special thanks to Michael, for bringing my phone to me at our hotel, after leaving it on the transport. We had a next day early departure. Could have been a challenging return trip with out my phone, thanks again Michael!! Love the picts also.

Good tour; chase success! A bit larger group than expected with a group of twelve but not that terrible.

Had a wonderful aurora hunt trip last night, exactly on our 17th anniversary night. Had the moments fairly early. 1 spot by the road, another spot by the beach. Couldnt ask for more better guides than Michael and Evgani. The story, the connection, the inclusiveness. Not to forget, beautiful photos. Had a great mix of big family and couples too in the minivan❤️ Thanks Tromso 🇳🇴, Thanks Wandering Owl. Recommended - Diana & Arif -

We loved the tour. Pablo, the guide was very kind, and we saw the northern lights despite the cloudy weather.

If you want a real chance of seeing auroras you have to book your hunting for auroras with Wandering owl. Best service, and they really do their best to get you to the right spot available to see them.

Amazing experience with The Wandering Owl. Tour guide Ellie knew her stuff. Saw the lights very quickly that night. Amazing experience. Definitely go with them again.

Having to pay extra for photos is poor. The quality also average. When mentioned there is a electrical wire was advised it would be photo shopped out it was not. Can of tomato soup for the meal average and the miserly use of wood for the fire was cheap. Knowledge of the guide excellent.

Great tour! Our tour guide Anna was very knowledgeable!

Anna and Michael were excellent guides. They were very helpful. We saw the Northern Lights for an extended period of time.

Our guide was right on time, even weather seemed to be a huge problem (cloudy) he managed to find the right spot, clear space & amazing view.

An unforgettable evening in Tromsø! The Aurora Hunt was very well organized, and the bonfire made the experience even more special. The guides were friendly, knowledgeable, and did their best to find the best spot to see the Northern Lights. Highly recommended for a magical Arctic experience!

Wonderful experience with our tour guide, Jordan, who was positive, upbeat & engaging plus he took wonderful photos of our experience & we saw the Northern Lights on our 1st try in Tromso. Vitek, our driver, did a great job driving safely & maneuvering thru the mountains.

It was wonderful to have Issac as the guide, informed and cheerful even when we did not see the Lights- kept us going. He was so positive we shall definite vier the Lights.

This was our first aurora hunt and we saw so many lights!!! Despite this, we were so cold during this trip that we were quite miserable. The staff were scattered and the meal was very light and not enough to sustain us after being out for so long. We loved having pictures taken for us and be able to get away from light pollution, but it took all our willpower to stand out in the cold without a way to warm up. Highly recommend going with snacks, water, warmers, and all the things to make yourself comfortable so you can enjoy since this is a longer tour with tons of outside time after dark.

I booked this expecting the experience described on Wandering Owl's own website. Almost none of it matched what we got, and the gap was wide enough that I'm still in disbelief and working through it. Our guide turned up 15 to 20 minutes late with no apology of any kind. She then made the rest of us sit and wait another 20 to 30 minutes for one final passenger. Before we had even left, close to an hour of the evening was gone. Irritating as that was, the driving was the part that frightened me. Once we set off, the vehicle drifted back and forth across the lane markings on both sides of the road, again and again. This was late at night, on cold and icy roads, well outside town, with a van full of people who had no choice but to sit there and hope we made it back to civilization in one piece. The guiding was close to nonexistent. No stories, no facts about Tromso, no context about Norway, the landscape, the culture, the Sami, or the northern lights themselves. At one point she announced to the van that she had a Spotify playlist of Sami music, then played it loudly for the rest of the drive as a substitute for any real commentary. The single piece of "local content" she managed was a small reindeer farm we blew past in about three seconds, barely long enough to register that it existed. I had come prepared with questions about the aurora, the region, and the culture. After one short, dismissive answer to my very first question, it was obvious the rest would go nowhere, so I gave up asking. When another guest asked, reasonably, what our chances were of seeing the aurora that night, the answer set the tone for everything that followed. She brushed it off and said she does not believe in probabilities or percentages and simply reads the colors in her app (which was not even the same app as the one listed on Wandering Owl's website). That kind of shrug might pass for someone heading out alone, but she was responsible for a vanload of paying customers, hauling them deep into the Norwegian wilderness in the middle of the night in extreme and changeable cold. Looking back at how she dodged that question and how far she drove us into the middle of nowhere, I suspect she already knew the odds that night were dismal and was stretching the distance to make the price feel justified. It never was justified. We saw nothing but a cloudy sky, mountains, trees, rocks, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it glimpse of a reindeer farm, and a great deal of snow. Then the meal, advertised on the booking page as a homecooked meal with cookies. Here's what actually landed in our hands: a few off-brand Norwegian Oreo lookalikes, hot chocolate that was the most watered down and worst tasting I have ever had the misfortune to drink, and one small pouch of instant just-add-water, army-ration style tomato soup. The guide told us herself, openly, that she had grabbed the packets of soup on sale at a local grocery store. Nothing handed to us was homecooked or homemade in any sense of those words or required any special recipe (like those advertised on the Wandering Owl website). The others on my tour were visibly let down by this and by everything else, and the disappointment hung over the entire drive back to Tromso. To sum it up: a guide who arrived late and kept us waiting, drove in a way that was unsafe, offered no real guiding, completely dismissed multiple fair questions, and served a plastic grocery store soup pouch in place of an advertised homecooked meal. For what this tour costs, the chasm between the listing and the reality is the whole reason I am writing this. Anyone considering Wandering Owl should know exactly what they are handing their money over for before they book.